Expert questions AG’s decision to drop high-profile cases of financial loss to state

The legal expert Kwame Adofo has voiced concern about the government’s decision to discontinue a string of high-profile cases involving individuals accused of causing financial loss to the state.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (10 February 10 2025), he said that the move could have grave repercussions for the Mahama government, and particularly its efforts to “recover all loot”.

Adofo argued that halting trials of individuals already facing allegations of financial misconduct undermines the government’s credibility and its stated mission.

“It is troubling, in the sense that, the moment a party comes to government and has this objective of ‘Operation Recover All Loot’ and there are people already before the court being tried and you stop the trial from going ahead, that becomes problematic, because it will almost immediately undermine your so-called quest to recover all the loot. All loot is loot,” he declared.

He argued that allowing such lawsuits to proceed would demonstrate the government’s commitment to accountability and strengthen its position when pursuing similar cases in the future.

“If you drop these cases, it boxes you in. It will be difficult for you to justify going after others who may be involved in similar misconduct,” he explained.

Discontinued cases

Several high-profile cases have been discontinued under the new John Mahama administration, sparking controversy.

These include the COCOBOD case, involving Stephen Kwabena Opuni and Alhaji Seidu Agongo, accused of causing GHC271 million in financial loss to the state in the Lithovit fertiliser scandal. The newly appointed Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Johnson Asiama, has also been cleared of charges related to the collapse of UniBank and UT Bank.

Other discontinued cases include the appeal against the now Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson (then a deputy finance minister), and the businessman Richard Jakpa in the controversial ambulance case. Charges against the former SSNIT boss Ernest Thompson, the former works and housing minister Collins Dauda, and a long line of others similarly accused of financial mismanagement have also been dropped.

Activists including Oliver Barker-Vormawor and Ama Governor, as well as the former National Democratic Congress chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and communications officer Anthony Kwaku Boahen, have had their cases dismissed, leading to renewed debate about protest rights and political suppression.

Morality

Adofo also questioned the morality of the Mahama government’s stance on financial misconduct. He raised concerns about the government’s ability to hold members of the opposition accountable if it is not pursuing similar cases involving prominent figures from its own ranks.

“If you’re not interested in recovering loot from your own party members, how can you morally pursue similar cases against those in the opposition?” he asked.

The legal expert warned that the government’s approach could set a dangerous precedent, making it increasingly difficult to justify the prosecution of future cases of financial misconduct, particularly where they involve individuals from political parties in power.

“The moment you drop these high-profile cases, it becomes almost impossible to justify continuing with any similar cases in the future,” Adofo concluded. Source: AsaaseRadio